A day after cinematographer Pratik Shah issued an apology over the multiple allegations of sexual abuse against him, a collective of female cinematographers in the country slammed the apology, dubbing it ‘nothing more than a cynical PR strategy.’ In a long and detailed statement, the Indian Women Cinematographers’ Collective (IWCC) urged the industry to ‘recognise’ the statement as not ‘a plea for forgiveness,’ but ‘a job application’.
‘This is not an apology’
The IWCC took to their official Instagram handle on Thursday evening to share a statement about Pratik Shah’s apology in the form of a carousel post. “It took twelve months of silence, the loss of a high-profile Sourav Ganguly biopic, and the unceremonious scrubbing of his name from YRF’s Akka for cinematographer Pratik Shah to finally find his conscience. But let us be clear about what he just published: this is not an apology. It is a calculated exercise in damage control, a desperate bid for professional reinstatement disguised as a moral awakening,” the statement began.
The IWCC added, “Shah’s statement is a textbook example of how perpetrators of sexual misconduct weaponize modern progressive language to absolve themselves. By cloaking predatory behavior in the vocabulary of therapy and self-reflection, he has crafted a narrative that demands empathy for the abuser while entirely erasing the women he abused.”
Calling the apology a ‘cynical PR strategy’, the statement slammed Shah’s apology as a ‘grotesque mischaracterisation of sexual harassment’.
“Soliciting nude photographs and subjecting colleagues to emotional abuse are not symptoms of a fragile ego or the confusing byproducts of sudden fame. They are deliberate, repeated abuses of power. By framing his predatory actions as a tragic flaw born of a desperate need for validation, Shah attempts to downgrade his behaviour from predatory to merely pathetic,” added the statement.
The statement also questioned Shah’s claims of ‘weekly therapy’ and ‘continuous sobriety,’ calling them ‘a classic deflection tactic’.
‘The victims are treated as mere plot devices’
Addressing the apology as ‘narcissistic’, the statement adds, “Nowhere in this carefully curated paragraph does he directly address the fear, the trauma, or the derailed careers of the young women he targeted. He is grieving his own demise. The victims are treated as mere plot devices in the tragedy of Pratik Shah’s stalled career -nameless, faceless collateral damage in his personal journey toward growth.”
The IWCC highlights an alleged pattern of similar behaviour, saying that Shah had issued a similar apology for allegedly soliciting a nude picture from a young cinematographer five years ago. “An apology followed by repeated offenses is not an apology – it is a manipulation tactic to avoid consequences. Only when the consequences finally caught up to his career, was the silence broken.
True accountability is quiet. It is the acceptance of consequences without the demand for a swift return to power,” read the statement.
“The industry must recognize this statement for exactly what it is: it is not a plea for forgiveness. It is a job application,” it concluded.
Pratik Shah’s apology
On Wednesday, Pratik Shah had addressed the allegations against him in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter India. “I want to address the online allegations made against me last year. I am deeply remorseful for the mistakes I made and the hurt that I have caused, both in my professional interactions and in my past personal relationships. However, I soon realised that arguing details did not change the reality of my mistakes. The breakdown of my reputation and relationships was the direct result of my own poor choices, and I take full responsibility for the shame and pain I brought upon my family, friends, and collaborators,” Pratik said.
The allegations against Pratik Shah
Pratik Shah, best known for his work on Jubilee and CTRL, came under intense scrutiny after filmmaker Abhinav Singh publicly accused him of being “highly manipulative” and “emotionally abusive.” Abhinav further claimed that over 20 women had reached out to him, alleging that Shah often crossed professional boundaries and turned conversations in an inappropriate sexual direction. The allegations quickly gained traction across the industry. The IWCC had also flagged Shah after a junior cinematographer reportedly accused him of making inappropriate advances.
The controversy soon began affecting his professional commitments. Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan conspicuously omitted Pratik’s name from promotional posts for Homebound. He also lost out on Sourav Ganguly’s biopic, and his name was removed from the upcoming YRF Entertainment series, Akka.